Angry trio denounce the committee’s ‘bias’
THREE members of the committee on the Eighth Amendment have denounced what they said was its ‘pro-abortion bias’ and said they would issue their own report.
Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick, Independent TD Mattie McGrath and Independent Senator Rónán Mullen boycotted the committee’s final meeting last night.
They criticised what they said was its ‘cruel and unjust recommendation’ to allow abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
They condemned the committee’s report as ‘an unacceptably flawed process’ and said they would issue their own minority report.
The three politicians also accused the committing of ‘failing to do its job’ and said they had reservations about its objectivity from the beginning. ‘A majority on the committee only interested itself in the case being made against the Eighth Amendment, and felt no obligation to examine how the Eighth Amendment has protected the human life, human rights and human dignity of women and their unborn babies,’ the three said in a statement.
They suggested that they would never accept any Oireachtas process that would lead to what they said was the death of the unborn.
‘No process and no report has the right to recommend the denial of anybody else’s human rights,’ they added.
The committee is now finished after 13 weeks of deliberations. Its recommendations will add strength to calls for a referendum on the Eighth Amendment next year.
On Wednesday, the committee voted 14 to six to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which was written into the Constitution in 1983 and which recognises the equal right to life of the mother and the unborn child. Chairwoman Catherine Noone abstained from the vote.
Last night, the committee met in private to read over Wednesday’s report. It made very small changes and reconvened in public.
The final draft of the report will be launched next Wednesday.
Sinn Féin TD Jonathan O’Brien said that it was sad the three objectors did not show up last night. ‘I don’t see why they couldn’t turn up and voice their opposition to the report, rather than refusing to show up at all,’ he said.